What was your path to OSU?  

After graduating high school, I attended Chemeketa Community College for two years, where I played soccer and finished my transfer degree.

I then transferred to Pacific University to continue my soccer career and my academic goals. However, I experienced a traumatic brain injury from soccer and was forced to drop my classes to take the year off to recover.

During this time off, I spent some time with friends in Corvallis and fell in love with Oregon State University. I researched its kinesiology program and was further convinced I wanted to attend.

When I felt healed enough to return to school, I applied to transfer to OSU for fall 2022 and began pursuing my degree in kinesiology. I have been working with Disability Access Services ever since to ensure I succeed and can achieve my goals despite my injury.

Since being at OSU I have taken the opportunity to get involved in different ways. I currently volunteer as a field manager for the women’s soccer team, am a member of the women’s club soccer team, participate in research, and have arranged internships within my career choice.

OSU has given me so many opportunities to pursue my interests and expand my growth and learning. Coming to OSU was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Why are you interested in research?

I originally was interested in research to boost my resume for physical therapy school. However, when I began looking for research projects, I began to discover what being part of research really means.

I get the opportunity to take what I have been learning in class and apply it to real-world experiences. It gives me a new lens.

Being involved in and creating my own learning excites me and makes me want to geek out on the subject more than I would have if I had learned about it in class.

My research looks at other research to determine its equity, which has given me skills that are unique and valuable in the health care field, where new research is always coming out.

As a physical therapist, I will need to be able to read and process this research to stay up to date to best help my patients. Research sets me up for success.

Why did you want to be part of Healthy Discoveries?

I wanted to be part of Healthy Discoveries because I tell anyone who will listen how great being part of a research experience has been for me. I want to share that with others, especially since I had my own doubts before I began my research.

I didn’t think I would be able to do it and I thought I was underqualified. However, these opportunities are about learning. You don’t need to know how to do it because you learn as you go, get better and grow when you try something new.

You get to see a different perspective on topics that you wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. It’s all about expanding yourself and finding your interests.

What research will you be working on and with whom?   

I am working on PAPREN inter-institutional collaborative research, which includes a systematic literature review of physical activity and equity research published in the last 10 years. I am working on this project with Deborah John.

What are your future career or academic plans?

My career goal is to become a physical therapist focusing on concussions and brain injuries.

My academic plan to achieve this goal includes finishing my bachelor's degree in kinesiology with the pre-therapy and allied health option.

After graduation, I plan to attend physical therapy school where I will earn my doctorate of physical therapy degree and enter a fellowship for my specialty in brain injuries.